Nanosphere Lithography: Self-Assembled Photonic and Magnetic Materials

Abstract

AbstractEarly work with size-tunable periodic particle arrays (PPAs) fabricated by nanosphere lithography (NSL) demonstrated that the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) could be tuned throughout the visible region of the spectrum. Further developments of the NSL technique have produced a myriad of nanoparticle configurations. Presented in this paper are several array types and examples of their utility in current applications. Both the sensitivity and tunability of the LSPR have been firmly established using single layer PPAs. Magnetic force microscopy (MFM) has been used to show that double layer PPAs act as single domain magnets and give strong MFM contrast. Angle-resolved NSL has produced nanogap and nano-overlap structures with manipulation resolution of one nanometer. Nanowell structures extend the original twodimensional structure into the third dimension. Exploitation of this flexible, materials-general NSL technique allows for investigation of the catalytic, electrochemical, magnetic, optical and thermodynamic properties of nanoparticles.